Infant feeding support and expertise for expectant and new families; education and training for healthcare professionals.
Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant based in the northwest of England, working within the NHS in research, training and project management, in private practice assisting families with feeding issues, and the tertiary sector with various national and international organisations.
INFANT FEEDING SUPPORT
If you are an expectant parent or new family hoping for support with infant feeding, please see my ‘Private Clients’ page. Or do also see my reviews, here. While I am obviously able to support breastfeeding and lactation as an IBCLC (and I am proud to be Clinical Director for LatchAid, who make ‘Anya’, the breastfeeding and early parenting support mobile phone app), I actually specialise in the unsettled baby (colic, reflux, allergies) and faltering growth, as well as formula feeding and formula milks; my book on formula feeding was published January 2022.
Please also see my Facebook page, for details on when I am doing Facebook LIVE Q&As.
EDUCATING HEALTH PROFESSIONAL STAFF
I am employed in a NW England hospital to project manage UNICEF Baby Friendly accreditation, and self-employed as an Infant Feeding Specialist, both of which involve training staff from many disciplines and organising study events.
I work for a Maternity Nurse Training company based in London, training Maternity Nurses and others around infant care, brain development, feeding and general troubleshooting. I am also happy to train health professionals in other areas of the country, and infant feeding peer supporters. I am available to support all kinds of projects involving education around infant feeding – for more information please see the ‘Services’ page.
RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE BASE
Since 2015 I have been involved in a suite of systematic reviews on various aspects of Infantile Colic (see here, here
In October 2018 I was asked to appear on BBC Breakfast to discuss the evidence base around an aspect of breastfeeding. See the post on my Facebook page, here. In 2019 I appeared in the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary “The Great Infant Formula Scandal”.
Evidence is at the heart of everything I do, and I continue to seek out the best, most up to date research to inform my work: since Jan 2022 I have been a PhD candidate, looking at effective ways of supporting families with unsettled babies. This is fascinating but also time consuming, so please bear with me!
VOLUNTARY SECTOR ROLES
I have been a Trustee of UKAMB – the United Kingdom Association of Milk Banking – for many years (I am currently Vice-Chair), and served also a member of the Committee for the Lactation Consultants of Great Britain for many years, standing down in Nov 2020. I am Chair of LIFIB which provides impartial information on infant feeding issues, and Nursing Matters, an advocacy organisation for the breastfeeding child. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis I ran a free drop in group twice a month in my local area, which together with local trained and supervised peer supporters, we have now taken online. I have also done lots of work with new parents on the wards of my local hospitals, and continue to do lots of work online supporting and informing parents on a voluntary basis.